Help with books
I've heard this from almost every person I know who lived in New York, but moved away: you run out of time to read. I had a whole system down: New Yorkers on the subway, books before bed, manuscripts on the weekends. Since I managed to stay in publishing, my weekly reading load hasn't decreased (it has, unbelievably, increased), but my commute time is halved and I'm not sure balancing Talk of the Town between my steering wheel is going to work out so hot for me. I've been reading my magazines before bed, but I lose focus quickly. I pick up good books, but then my magazines pile up. With the upcoming move, I only guess the gap will widen between what I should be reading and what is in my "finished" pile.
I know this shouldn't be a big deal, but I feel like I am failing a little bit! Of course, the great fall television line up and a spattering of clubs isn't helping anything, but still. Here's the thing: I really want to reach my 52 books in 52 weeks goal (please see aforementioned obsession with fulfilling little arbitrary goals set for myself) and we are already at week 45. I'm not doing terrible. I'm caught up to about week 41, but I'm gonna need some good ones towards the end to help me make up those final numbers. You can see from my list below that I am not above counting a short book for credit, but I feel better about it if I'm reading it because it was recommended or if it gives me something to talk about with others. Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow? Perfect. Kristy and the Cat Burgler? Cheating. A hardbound graphic novel shelved under memoir? Great.
So here's what I'm looking for: books from this year that you loved that I am obviously missing. Or books from previous years that you think I might have missed. The book should either be fairly short or completely engrossing. I don't think there's room left this year for a long novel that, while ultimately fulfilling, is a chore to read. Plus, I've already given three weeks of my life to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
1. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl*
2. Secret History by Donna Tart*
3. ADD by Brad Listi
4. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill
5. The Taxonomy of Barnacles by Galt Niederhoffer
6. Weight by by Jeanette Winterson
7. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood*
8. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick*
9. A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger*
10. Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg*
11. Final Solution by Michael Chabon
12. Don't Get Too Comfortable by Daniel Rakoff
13. Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant*
14. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne
15. Horsemen of the Esophagus by Jason Fagone*
16. Family Tree by Carole Cadwalladr
17. Eat This Book by Ryan Nerz*
18. Bad Twin by Gary Troup*
19. Homeland by Sam Lipsyte
20. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
21. The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty*
22. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote*
23. The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld*
24. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro*
25. The Helmet of Horror by Victor Pelvin
26. Color of Water by James McBride
27. Book of Salt by Monique Troung*
28. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
29. Saturday by Ian McEwan
30. Pick Me Up by Zoe Rice*
31. A Widow for One Year by John Irving
32. The Hours by Michael Cunningham*
33. Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene*
34. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel*
35. Talk Talk by TC Boyle
36. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers*
37. Heaven of Mercury by Brad Watson
38. The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger*
39. Blindness by Jose Saramago*
40. Dream Angus by Alexander McCall*
41. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls*
42. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (so far: *)
* Recommended!
Wow. Wow that's a list. So which do you recommend most?
This may not be in line with your project, but if you haven't read The Crying of Lot 49, it's only like 150 pages. Also, it's well-known that it only takes about an afternoon to read any book by Vonnegut or Phillip K Dick.
One of the funnier, short novels I've read of recent - Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Or if you want something else by him which is completely trashiness at it's finest level, Sellevision.
You can't go wrong with a Chuck Palahniuk. Of note: Invisible Monsters or Lullaby.
You did not just say you read Bad Twin-how hilariously embarrasing.You should read Jessica Abel's graphic novel La Perdida,or the Castle Waiting vo.1 omnibus
I just read Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down. It was sort of like eating a bag of Doritos.
Stephen King's On Writing?
A Girl Named Zippy?
Alain de Botton's On Love?
I could not put down Margaret Sartor's Miss American Pie -- it's her diary from her teenage years...which means it is a quick read. Another diary-esque book that I love is Bob Greene's Be True to Your School. It doesn't take long to read and also makes you long to have been a teenager in 1964.
I've got to catch up, too -- I am seriously behind.
RG, I'll go through and put * next to those I loved the most.
I have read most Augusten Burroughs, and I did read A Long Way Down, but I am taking notes on the rest of these suggestions. You guys are great!
Do not judge me by my Bad Twin reading. You get to know a lot of people in publishing; sometimes those people write pseudonymous novels for television shows.
just doing my children's-book-editor duty:
you must read "the astonishing adventures of fanboy and goth girl" by barry lyga. it's an awesome, awesome YA. you can crank it out in one night.
i read "the memory keeper's daughter" on the honeymoon and was not all that impressed.
next on my list is "pigtopia." i read about it and it sounded intriguing. if i can think of anything else, i'll let you know!
Linda Barry's "The good times are killing me" is very short and very good.
"Blankets" by Craig Thonpson is 600 pages but very fast (graphic novel). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blankets_(graphic_novel)
Oh, I loved Blankets! You guys all have good taste :-)
Thanks for my star!!
Wickett's Remedy is next on my list, so I'm glad you recommend.
The books I've read lately I haven't loved, or are very long, which is why I haven't added my two cents.
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton is very very good. Toni Morrison books are generally pretty short but thought provoking. I liked Sula and Beloved but I'm sure the rest are good too.
Attention. Deficit. Disorder. by Brad Listi is fantastic. Easily one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years.